PARIS FASHION WEEK | FASHION REVIEW; It's Hard to Be Sexy

By CATHY HORYN

Published: March 8, 2011

Stella McCartney might not have meant to capture a persistent duality in the female psyche, but she did. The figure-denying suits and cocoon dresses, the almost slovenly knits and custard pants, seemed to say, tauntingly, ''Don't judge me for my looks.'' Or: ''Leave me alone, I'm feeling fat.''

At the other extreme, though -- and Ms. McCartney worked both sides -- were the figure-hugging, explicitly sexual evening dresses ventilated at the sides with sheer panels, while the solid bits were covered in bubbly circles. You didn't need to ponder their message.

Of course, all this is a big fat clich?women, including Ms. McCartney, are much more complex than that. But it was interesting for Ms. McCartney, who isn't known for straying far from her brand comfort zone, to take these sexual identities to such extremes.

And she would probably insist that both views are a valid reflection of women's attitudes about their bodies, as well as their love-hate relationship with fashion. But if I had to choose a winner in her show on Monday, I would pick the skillful-looking vamp. In offering that style, Ms. McCartney came out of herself a little.

As a trying three-week run of shows winds down, you realize how difficult it is for designers to make new statements with sexy clothes, even at houses where there is a history. The problem for Giles Deacon at Ungaro is painfully obvious. He doesn't have a female body or personality in mind when he's designing. Instead, he has abstract notions of Parisian mistresses and decadence.

It would be so much easier, and better for the future of Ungaro, if Mr. Deacon restrained himself from uttering nonsense about ''the city of lust'' and instead actually built a collection around a woman -- her body, her way of walking and teasing. Mr. Deacon creates a cardboard provocativeness, not much better than a London sex shop, with leather pants that zip down the rear, see-through lace with dog collars, and black mini-sweatshirts that in no way justify the expense of putting a Lesage-embroidered animal of prey on them. There is just not a guiding vision here.

Riccardo Tisci has a similar problem at Givenchy, though at least he gives you things to think about, and his collections are generally well filled out. This season, he, too, has embellished sweatshirts, as well as mohair sweaters with wreaths of flowers or pinups on the front and some terrific black fur jackets.

But it's hard to relate to his fashion personally, and maybe it's because he doesn't have the skill or the patience to focus on fundamental things, like shapes or how to make fabrics work on the body. He prefers themes; this season his muse was Amanda Lear, the disco queen, who appeared on the cover of ''For Your Pleasure'' by Roxy Music. Hence the panther prints and black vinyl pencil skirts with tight, sheer hems. But whatever the theme, Mr. Tisci remains on the surface, forcing ideas but not really changing your eye about clothes.

Ms. McCartney may not persuade her customers to wear her wide suit jackets (think Talking Heads) or savor the roominess of gold felted wool tops or a rounded tunic. But, coming from a woman, some of these sculptural, free-moving shapes are perhaps easier to relate to than another high-low riff on black vinyl.

Besides, you wonder how many young women want that much complexity from fashion. Before the Herm?show, Pierre-Alexis Dumas, the company's artistic director, said it was important for Herm?to relate to people in their 20s and 30s, because ''the dominant values are changing.'' People are interested in ethical behavior and qualitative time, rather than speed and quantity, he said.

These ideas weren't entirely reflected in Christophe Lemaire's first show for Herm? but it was a start. Wrap coats with a Japanese influence, suede tunics and knits with scarf prints were the strongest elements. Perhaps the collection suffered from too-muchness, a heaviness, and the bottom half of outfits seemed to impart no sense of style or direction.

But the younger generation at Herm?has already demonstrated versatility with other products and with its Web site. With some pruning, it could make a difference with its women's fashion.

Paris Collections: Emanuel Ungaro, Givenchy, Herm? Stella McCartney

PHOTOS: GIVENCHY: A leather jacket with a flared skirt over a sheer layer, above. Right, a print jacket and top over a patent-leather skirt.; EMANUEL UNGARO: An animal-print top, and dog collar, over leather pants.; STELLA McCARTNEY: A waffle-knit sweater and soft pants, with loafers, right. Top, a sculptural sheath with sheer side panels.; HERMÈS: A wool tunic-style jacket and slit skirt, with high boots. (PHOTOGRAPHS BY VALERIO MEZZANOTTI FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES)